Agricultural Economic Report No. (AER-757) 60 pp

September 1997

Structure of Dairy Markets: Past, Present, Future

The U.S. dairy industry, many segments of which supported dairy policy changes in the 1996 Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act, is much different than it was 20 or even 10 years ago. This report provides a historical overview of the industry, more detailed examinations of the fluid milk market and selected manufactured dairy product markets, a discussion of future prospects and trends in the industry, and some thoughts on the implications of those prospects and trends for dairy farmers and their organizations, processors, dairy product manufacturers, and retailers.

Keywords: dairy, butter, cheese, nonfat dry milk, market structure, pricing, competition

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